In a medium pan, heat EVOO over med-high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Cook chicken for about 7 minutes, until all sides are browned. Remove chicken from pan and set aside.

In the same pan, add fresh white mushrooms and garlic. Sauté until mushrooms are soft. Mix in water, dried mushrooms and stroganoff seasoning, bring to a boil. Turn heat to low, cover and for about 15-20 minutes. If the sauce is too thick, whisk in more water.

Add mixture to blender and puree until smooth. Add mixture back to pan with chicken and add sour cream. Simmer on low for about 10 minutes.

This week I’m cleaning out the fridge from our Christmas party last Saturday. We’ll be gone next week and I want to eat up all the food before it goes bad. This is what I made from the broccoli and sour cream I had.

In a medium sauce pan, sauté nuts until fragrant. Remove from pan and set aside. Add EVOO to pan and toast rice until slightly browned. Add toasted rice and chicken broth to rice cooker and cook until done. In the same pan, add more EVOO if necessary, add carrots, zucchini and garlic. Sauté until veggies are tender. When rice is done, mix in veggies, parsley and S&P.

Season chicken with grill seasoning. Grill chicken over medium heat until cooked all the way through and no longer pink in the middle.

Using 4 wine tumblers, split the first yogurt among the glasses. Next add a layer of bananas and raspberries. Add another layer of the second flavor of yogurt. Top with grapes and black berries. Sprinkle with granola. Feel free to drizzle with a little honey too.

﻿I found this dessert in last month’s issue of Food & Wine. It was so good and easy that I made it twice in the last two weeks! The only difference from the recipe was I added pecans and coarse sugar crystals.

In a medium bowl, toss the diced pears with the sugar, flour, cranberries, pecans, ground cloves, cinnamon and salt.

On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the puff pastry to a 14 1/2-inch square, about 1/8 inch thick. Cut the pastry into 4 squares. Spoon the pear filling onto the middle of each square, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Fold the pastry over the filling to make a triangle and firmly press the edges to seal. Crimp the edges with a fork or pinch and twist the edges. Prick the top of each triangle once with the fork to allow steam to escape during baking. Transfer the hand pies to a baking sheet and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, until chilled. (I found it easier to prick the hole in the pie after it was refrigerated.)

Preheat the oven to 400°. Brush the chilled hand pies with the beaten egg and sprinkle them with the coarse sugar crystals. Bake the pies for about 30 minutes, until they are golden brown. Let the hand pies cool for at least 5 minutes.

Thursday, November 25, 2010

We had a very traditional Thanksgiving dinner this year: roasted turkey, gravy, stuffing, mashed potatoes, corn, salad and rolls. I even scaled it back a little, just to make things easier. Ben's parents are not fussy eaters, so I decided not to stress myself out.

No cranberry sauce, who likes that stuff anyway? I roasted the turkey in a Reynolds Oven Bag, which was the easiest way I've ever cooked it. It came out moist with crispy skin! I did try a new stuffing this year, which was hit. I also made a new pumpkin pie, which was awesome (scroll down). I think I'm hungry again....

The feast

Thanksgiving Dinner Plate

Artichoke Parmesan Sourdough Stuffing

Artichoke Parmesan Sourdough Stuffing

1 Portabella mushroom, chopped

1 Tbsp butter

1 onion, chopped

1 cup chopped celery

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 cups chicken broth

1 loaf (1 lb.) sourdough bread, cut into 1/2-in. cubes & toasted

12 oz. marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

5 sage leaves, minced

4-5 thyme springs, minced

1 1/2 Tbsp rosemary, minced

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 large egg

In a frying pan over high heat, cook mushrooms, butter, onions, celery, and garlic, stirring often, until vegetables are lightly browned, about 15 minutes. Pour into a large bowl.

Preheat oven to 350° (use temperature turkey requires; see Note below). Spoon stuffing into a casserole dish. Bake covered for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for an additional 30 minutes until the top gets brown and crispy.

﻿﻿

My best Pumpkin Pie yet!

Pumpkin Pie﻿

¼ cup of white sugar

¼ tsp salt

½ cup of brown sugar

½ tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp ground ginger

¼ tsp ground cloves

2 eggs

1 can (15 oz) can of pumpkin

1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk

1 unbaked 9” pie shell

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

In a medium bowl combine the first 6 ingredients. Beat eggs in a large bowl. Stir in pumpkin and suger-spice mixture. Stir in evaporated milk. Pour into pie shell.

Bake in over for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees and make for an additional 40-50 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick is inserted in the middle of the pie and comes out clean.

Pour batter into pan and bake for 1 1/2 hours or until a wooden toothpick is inserted in the middle of the loaf and comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Remove from pan, wrap and store over night in the fridge. This allows the flavors to mellow and the loaf to cut easier.

A complete meal in one delicous, little package! We make these foil packets when we go camping but haven’t tried them at home yet. Baking them in the oven worked out well. You can make the packets with whatever fillings you like, such as sausage or salmon, and any combination of veggies.

Lay a piece of aluminum foil on the counter top. Drizzle with EVOO. Layer potato, beef, seasonings, celery, onion and carrot. Twist up edges of foil to make a tight package that won’t leak. Bake for 40 minutes, until potatoes and carrots are tender.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, add bread, Swiss Chard, capers, onion, garlic and parsley. Drizzle with EVVO and season with salt and pepper. Toss all together. Pour into a casserole dish.

Season chicken with salt and pepper. Arrange over bread and Swiss Chard mixture. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 35 minutes, or until chicken is cooked all the way through.

In a medium pot, add 1 ¼ cup of water, sundried tomatoes and mushrooms. Bring to a boil. Mix in cous cous with seasonings from box. Remove from heat, cover and let sit for 5 minutes. Stir in green onion, lemon zest and feta cheese.

Season salmon filets with grill seasoning. Heat grill to high heat. Grill salmon skin side down for about 7-8 minutes, flip filet and grill for an additional 2-3 minutes until no longer pink in the middle. Skin should remove easily.

Heat grill to medium-high heat. Drizzle each filet with EVOO and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill each side for 5 minutes, or until cooked all the way through. Cut lemon in half, brush with EVOO and grill for 2-3 minutes.

Plate swordfish with roasted veggies and sprinkle with parsley. Garnish with grilled lemon.

Saturday, November 13, 2010

Talk about random cravings. I woke up this morning craving carrots. First I was going to make fresh carrot-apple juice in the juicer, but the then I busted out my faithful Better Homes and Garden Cook Book and looked up some loaf/bread recipes. I combined a few of the ones listed in the book together and came up with this, which was perfect for breakfast with coffee.

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

It might be a little hard to tell what's going on here from the photo. I had a hard time figuring out what to make with the bread pudding. The hubby has to have meat in his meals and I probably would have just chose a salad as a side for myself. I had to use the chicken up in the fridge, so I said "What the hell? I feel crazy!" It turned out pretty tasty!

In a large skillet, heat EVOO over med-high heat. Add onion and garlic. Sauté for 2-3 minutes. Add tomatoes and season with S&P. Cook for another 2 minutes, until tomatoes are soft. Stir in basil and Parmesan. Pour tomato mixture over bread cubes and combine.

In a medium bowl, beat eggs, milk, S&P. Beat together well. Pour the mixture over the bread and gently mix together. Bake for 30 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes.

In a medium skillet, heat EVOO over med-high heat. Season chicken with garlic, pepper flakes and S&P. Sauté chicken until both sides are brown and chicken is cooked all the way through. Add pine nuts and sun dried tomatoes.

For muffins:
Preheat oven at 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients together and mix well. Spoon mixture into mini muffin pan, filling each muffin close to top. Bake for 15-18 minuntes or until golden brown.

Season ribs with salt and pepper. In a large Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add ribs and brown on all sides. Remove the ribs and set aside. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stir for 2 minutes. Add the carrots, tomatoes, wine and mustard. Bring the mixture to a boil and scrape up the brown bits that cling to the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Return the ribs to the pan. Add the beef broth, cover the pan and place in the oven for 2 1/2 hours until the meat is fork tender and falls easily from the bone.

Remove the ribs from the cooking liquid. Using a large spoon, remove any excess fat from the surface of the cooking liquid. Transfer the cooking liquid in a food processor. Process until the mixture is smooth. Pour the sauce into a saucepan and keep warm over low heat. Remove the meat from the bones. Discard the bones. Using 2 forks, shred the meat into small pieces. Stir the shredded meat into the sauce. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain the pasta. Toss pasta with meat sauce. Sprinkle the pasta with Parmesan cheese and chopped parsley before serving.

In a steamer, cook potatoes until fork tender about 15-20 minutes. Drain excess water and mash with potato masher. Add milk, butter, sour cream, salt and pepper to taste. Mash together well. Cover and set aside.

In a medium pan, heat EVOO over high heat. Season salmon with grill seasoning. Sear skin side of salmon down for 2-3 minutes until skin is crispy. Flip filet, add tomatoes, turn heat to low, cover and cook for an additional 6-8 minutes until fish is no longer pink in the middle and flakes easily with a fork.

In a small pan, heat EVOO over med-high heat. Sauté spinach and garlic until spinach is wilted.

Assemble dish by plating spinach and potatoes. Top spinach with salmon and top dish with tomatoes.

In a large sauce pan, heat EVOO over medium high heat. Dredge chicken tenders in flour, then egg, and then bread crumbs. Fry chicken until each piece is crispy, golden brown and cooked all the way through. In a medium mixing bowl, add fried chicken tenders and toss with Frank’s RedHot.

Assemble salad, by creating a bed of greens, top with veggies and drizzle with salad dressing. Finish by topping with chicken.

In a large bowl, grate potato. Move shredded potato a paper towel or cheese cloth and ring out excess liquid. Return potato to bowl. Grate onion into bowl, and then add garlic. Add parsley and one beaten egg. Season with salt and pepper. Mix well.

In a large frying pan, heat a few drizzles of EVOO over medium high heat. Scoop several large spoonfuls of potato mixture onto frying pan; flatten a little to make small pancakes. Fry until they are crispy and browned, then flip and cook the other side.

In a small skillet, heat EVOO over medium high heat. Add bell pepper, asparagus and green onions. Sauté until peppers are tender. Add 2 beaten eggs. Mix and cook all together until eggs are no longer runny. Season with salt and pepper. Add Pepper Jack and remove pan from heat.

In a large bowl, grate apples. Sprinkle with ½ of the lemon juice to prevent them from browning. Add asparagus and mix together. In a separate bowl, mash avocado. Mix in the other half of lemon juice. Mix avocado mixture with apples and asparagus. Add sour cream and mix well. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Separate the dip into thirds. Mix in Pepper Jack and Tabasco to one batch. Mix in bacon to the second batch. Mix in Gorgonzola to the last batch. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 2 hours.

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

This is a simple salad to put together. One night, we ate sandwiches by filling rolls with the chicken salad and adding crispy bacon strips. Then I used the leftovers to top a green salad, which I took to work for lunch. I didn’t even need to add salad dressing. Yum!

Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Wash potatoes thoroughly. Cut thin, even slices 2/3 the way down the potato and all the way across. Insert garlic slices in between potato slices. If you want less garlic flavor, put the garlic in between every other or every few potato slices. Drizzle potatoes with EVOO and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 45 minutes, until potato is tender enough to easily pierce with a fork.

Season pork chops with grill seasoning. Heat a grill pan to high heat. Quickly sear pork on each side so each side has a nice brown color. Turn heat down and cook all the way through, until no longer pink in the middle.

In a large mixing bowl stir together the flour, baking powder, orange peel, baking soda, and salt. Set the flour mixture aside.

In a medium bowl combine eggs and brown sugar. Stir in pumpkin, oil, milk, and vanilla. Then stir in carrots and chopped walnuts. Add egg mixture to flour mixture, stirring with a wooden spoon until combined. Spread batter into the prepared pan.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack.

Spread with Orange Icing; cut into triangles or bars. Top each piece with a walnut half.

For Orange Icing:
In a mixing bowl combine powdered sugar and enough of orange juice to make an icing that is easy to drizzle.

Line baking sheet with foil.
Prepare a double boiler, but setting a medium sized glass bowl over a pot of boiling water. Add the chocolate chips to the bowl, mixing and allowing steam to melt chocolate. Carefully, without letting water drip from the bowl, pour chocolate onto foil. Spread into a thin layer on foil lined baking sheet.

To assemble each sandwich, open the sandwich and spread mayo on the bottom half. Layer chicken breast and bacon. On the top half, add avocado slices. Sprinkle cheese over the top of the open sandwich and broil for 3-4 minutes to melt the cheese. Close sandwich and enjoy with chips, salad or your favorite soup!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Wash well and cut potatoes in half. Poke holes in potato halves with a fork. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until you can easily pierce with a fork. Scoop out insides of each potato with a spoon. Don’t break the skin because this is your little boat that you will fill.

In a small bowl, mix together all the ingredients except the cheese. Return to oven for another 10 minutes to heat the filling. Remove from oven and sprinkle filled boats with cheese. Return to oven until cheese is melted.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and reserve about 1 cup of the pasta water.

In a large skillet, heat 1/4 cup oil over med-high heat. Add the onion and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the tuna to the skillet, break apart into chunks. Add the tomatoes, artichoke hearts and capers.

Cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes begin to soften, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add the pasta, the remaining 1/4 cup EVOO, and the parsley. Toss until all the ingredients are coated, adding a little pasta water, if needed, to thin out the sauce. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.